


Lieutenant Booty

by Travelintimeandspace



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, CS Hub Secret Santa, Cat Daddy!Killian, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, post season 6 pre season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 02:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17153924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Travelintimeandspace/pseuds/Travelintimeandspace
Summary: There's a new pirate at the Storybrooke's docks. Who better to befriend than Captain Hook himself?





	Lieutenant Booty

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JokerStark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JokerStark/gifts).



> Hub Secret Santa gift for @downeystarkjr on tumblr.
> 
> It was so fun talking to you this month, I hope you like this little thing I wrote you <3
> 
> Many thanks to Chinx for making this readable *hugs*

Killian stomped on the deck of the Jolly, his boots leaving foot shaped puddles behind over the melting snow with an annoying slushy sound. He grimaced. He had never been a fan of snow. Even now that he lived on a land with heaters and electric blankets, he was sure he would never understand the lad's love for it. But, he could somewhat agree with Emma that there was just something special about spending a cosy lazy day home watching snow fall outside.

Generally though, snow was just a nuisance he could very happily go without. It was freezing cold and wet: two things that neither he nor the Jolly were too fond of.

Snow, especially this early in the season, meant only one thing to Killian: many more hours than usual at the docks tending to his ship. The Jolly was built with enchanted wood, true, but in all his years of sailing the most important thing he had learned was that the condition of one’s ship is no joking matter.

Tired from all the work done, Killian slumped against the wheel. He fished his flask from his coat and took a gulp from it, watching the last tiny snowflakes being swallowed into the ocean. It didn’t take long for his stomach to let out an angry rumble. With a sigh, he reached for his bag on the floor to get the PB&J sandwich Henry had insisted he bring with him when the tips of his fingers brushed against something that definitely didn’t feel like food.  Surprised, he looked down just in time to see a white paw disappear with his snack.

Killian shot up and made to follow the beast. “You little thief!” He shouted at the white and ginger ball of fur that was running away, sandwich jutting out from its mouth and wobbling comically.

By the time Killian made it to the docks though, the kitten was nowhere in sight.

* * *

The first snow had come and gone and for days there was no trace at the docks of the cat. Not that he had been looking, of course. He couldn’t care less for that little demon. But what if it was a stray? Had it managed to find a warm place to sleep in? The nights were cold, and even on sunny days, there was a chilly wind that definitely would bother such a small cat. At least he knew with those stealthy skills, it would have no problems at finding food.

Okay, perhaps he had been a little worried about it, but he definitely didn’t  _care_.

It was then that Killian saw it again, a small white and ginger ball of fur snoozing in the sun on the quarterdeck. As soon as he stepped foot on the creaky wood of the deck, it sat up stretching its limbs as it opened its mouth in a big yawn.

“Oh, good morning there,” Killian said as he began checking for any loose knots, fully conscious of the way its big green eyes were following his every movement. Happy to find they were all in good shape, he made to head below deck to get some warm water to melt the ice that had formed during the night, only to find the kitten was still sitting in front of the hatch, its head tilted to the side as it watched him.

“Mrrw?” It meowed, making it sound like an actual question.

“I fear this time I have no food you can steal from me, mate.”

Not happy with his answer, it trotted up to him and walked all around his legs, bumping its head them and purring softly. Caught off guard, Killian looked down and as soon as their eyes met, the kitten let out a loud meow.

* * *

Killian sighed. Careful not to accidentally step on it, he turned around and crouched down. “Fine,” he said, reaching out with his hand to pet the top of its head. The kitten closed its eyes softly and started purring louder. “Now you wait here,” Killian continued softly. “I’ll just go down there see if there’s something for you, okay?”

Not waiting for an answer, Killian got up and made his way to the stairs only to turn around after few steps when a movement caught his eye.

“No. Stay here,” he said when he saw the kitten was trying to follow him.

Busted, the kitten sat down pretending to be innocent.

Killian smiled. “Good, cat.”

It was only when he was sure it wouldn’t follow him, that he climbed downstairs. After getting some warm water and rummaging around all the cabinets looking for some kind of cat appealing food, Killian made to head outside when a loud meow got his eyes to fall to the floor.

Wiggling its butt, the kitten made a jump onto the table next to him. Pretty impressive for such a small cat, he had to give it that.

“Weren't you supposed to wait upstairs?” Killian asked sternly.

In answer the cat just looked at him with its big greenish eyes and tried to reach the can of tuna he was holding with its paw, making tiny squee-like sounds.

Killian sighed. “You are a pretty insistent lad, aren't you?”

The kitten looked at him curiously as he got its meal on a plate.

“Or lass,” he added quickly. “I didn't mean to assume.”

He didn't even have the time to put the plate on the table, that the kitten picked a chunk of tuna with its claws and brought it to its mouth. In no time, the plate was clean of any trace of tuna and the cat was happily licking its whiskers.

“Are you satisfied now?” Killian asked putting the plate away.

The kitten meowed softly and jumped off the table. With a smile, Killian watched it struggling climbing the ladder.

When he too emerged back outside a few minutes later, he found it still there on the deck, sleeping in the sun.

* * *

It had stormed. Badly. Huge snowflakes had fallen for two days straight sending the whole city into chaos. He and Emma had been busy helping the endless list of drivers bested by the ice and snow and restoring the power when it got cut out from half of Storybrooke. He hadn't had a moment to go check on the Jolly.

Even if Killian wouldn't say it out loud, he worried about that tiny thief at the docks. He just hoped it had found somewhere warm and dry to wait for the worst of the blizzard to pass.

It was only when the emergency had died down, that Killian woke up early and, taking with him more food than usual, headed to the dock, leaving a note for Emma to find on the kitchen counter.

With his heart in his throat, he scanned the docks for a ginger spot to stand out against the stark white of the snow with no luck whatsoever. When even on the deck of his ship there was no trace of the kitten, he hastily freed the hatch from the fallen snow and carefully climbed the icy ladder to his quarters.

He spotted it right away, on his bed curled up on the blanket, sleeping. As soon as he stepped in, the kitten shot its head up, looking at him and smacking its jaw letting out tiny squees.

Killian sighed in relief. “You are quite the little pirate, aren’t you?” He asked, taking a seat next to the kitten. “I mean, first my sandwich, now my bed. Is there something else you want to make yours?”

As if on cue, the kitten extended one of its paws and tried to reach for his hook, taking Killian off guard.

“Ah, I see,” he said, watching the kitten struggle to grab his hook and letting it bring it closer, careful not to harm it. “You already have your claws mate, why would you need such a big extra one?”

Ignoring his question, the kitten took an inspecting sniff, then bit the hook lightly before deciding it'd be of better use as a comb, passing it left and right over its whiskers. Killian could only watch in awe as the cat began purring happily and moving forward to get more pets.

All it took was a few seconds of distraction to find himself with a cat snuggled up on his lap.

Wonderful.

He guessed all he could do was sit there and wait for the kitten to get tired of using him as a pillow.

* * *

During the following weeks, he either would find the kitten waiting for him on board the Jolly, or it would show up in a matter of minutes after his arrival. Much to his surprise, he had grown fond of the little rascal at breakneck speed, even though he had never pledged himself as a cat person. He hadn't bought anything crazy for it yet, but he had definitely found himself picking foods to bring it that wouldn't cause it any harm. The idea of surprising Emma by bringing the cat home had crossed his mind more than once. First though, he wanted to make sure she would be on board with them having any kind of pets. He only had to find the right moment to ask.

All of that though, was soon put to a halt when one day, after braving the cold and the already falling snow to check on his ship, there was no trace of the kitten. At first, he didn't think much of it, but as the time passed and he still didn't hear its happy meows in greeting, he started growing antsier by the minute.

He searched everywhere: the Jolly, the docks, the cabin nearby and the fishermen's ships. But nothing.

It was then that he saw it. A small ball of very wet ginger fur trembling and limping visibly.

Killian rushed to it.

When he got close enough for the kitten to recognize him, it let out a desperate meow and made a move to get to him only to fall miserably on the snow. He crouched down and helped the kitten up, careful not to touch the paw it was holding up awkwardly.

He didn't know what to do. The paw was probably broken and it was too cold, far too cold. He needed to bring it somewhere safe and warm without damaging its paw too badly. In all his years, he never found himself in such a situation, but maybe he knew someone who did.

Taking his phone out the pocket of his jacket he called David.

* * *

They brought it to his and Emma's home.

He let David take a seat on the kitchen table, as the trembling kitten lay there, wrapped up in a cloth. Killian tried to let him examine the cat in peace, but he couldn't help hovering over him in worry. Eventually, David got so annoyed that he sent him build up a fire to help warm the kitten up.

After he was done, he watched David carefully wrap a cast on the kitten’s paw. He had just secured it, when they heard the door open.

“Killian, I'm home!” Emma called out, as she unwrapped herself from the scarf and jacket she had been wearing.

Killian shot a glance to David and the kitten, before going to kiss his wife hello. “Hello, love.”

Their kiss didn't last but a few seconds before a loud meow brought Emma's attention to their two guests.

“Dad!” She exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Remember when I told you about the cat that stole my sandwich weeks ago?” Killian asked, scratching the back of his neck lightly.

Emma smiled in amusement. “Of course I do. And you know I'm not letting you live it down.”

Ignoring David laughing in the background, he continued, “Well, yes. That cat kept coming back whenever I would go check in on the Jolly and this evening I found it freezing cold, with an injured paw. I couldn't leave it there so I asked David for help.”

Emma smiled softly, walking up to her father to take a peek at the small bundle he was holding. “Oh, you poor little guy,” she said picking the kitten up from her father's hands and cradling it to her chest. “He's a guy right?”

David nodded. “Yes. Speaking of, I'll leave you to it. If you decide not to keep him just give me a call. I'll go get you some supplies.”

Saying their thanks and goodbyes, Killian waited for him to leave before speaking. “Swan,” he started, “we can't leave him outside in the cold. He's too small and he can't survive with an injured paw. I know it's not a simple thing to ask but -”

“Killian, stop.” Emma interrupted him. “Did you really think I was going to say that we couldn't keep him? I mean look at him. How could I say no?” She pointed down to the kitten, who was purring loudly in her arms.

Killian smiled brightly and got closer to scratch the top of his head.

“Have you already thought of a name?”

“Hmm?” He asked, too transfixed by the loud purrs to catch the question right away. “Well…”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Please don't tell me you want to call him Captain Paw.”

“Of course not, Swan,” he replied indignantly. “I didn't call myself Captain Hand after all, did I?”

“But you did call yourself Captain Hook.”

“That's not the point,” he said quickly, the tops of his ears flushing pink. “Besides, we can't have two captains living under the same roof.”

“What about Booty?” Emma suggested. “You said he's quite the pirate, didn't you?”

At the mention of his name the kitten meowed in agreement. Killian chuckled. “He is. And he seems to like it too.”

“Well then,” Emma smiled. “Welcome home Lieutenant Booty.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! If you want you can find me on tumblr @killiancygnus.


End file.
